Some readers may find the above headline a bit strong, but please be assured – this is what it means.

Vox Political became aware of this story in two contrasting ways, as follows.

Firstly, from The Guardian: “From September 2015 [the government] will only pay for support for students with specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, if their needs are ‘complex’, although the definition of this, and who decides it, remains unclear.

“It will no longer pay for standard computers for disabled students, or for much of the higher specification IT it now subsidises.

“And it will no longer fund non-specialist help, likely to include note-takers and learning mentors. The costs of specialist accommodation will be met only in exceptional circumstances.”

Paddy Turner, of the National Association of Disability Practitioners (NADP) is quoted: “This is going to have a disastrous effect on students with specific learning difficulties because it looks very clear that [universities minister David Willetts] is trying to remove them from the DSA. It looks like a knee-jerk reaction to recent reports that specific learning difficulties and dyslexia aren’t really disabilities at all.”

Thanks to Vox Political

I wonder if UKIP’s policies or even the 3rd Reichs policies will/would differ?

“He was told he had not committed any crimes and no action was taken against him, but he was asked to delete some of his tweets, particularly a tongue-in-cheek one on 10 reasons to vote for Ukip, such as scrapping paid maternity leave and raising income tax for the poorest 88% of Britons.”

“…they said this was in relation to a complaint that had been made by a certain political party in relation to tweets I had published about them and one tweet in particular which talked about ten reasons to vote for them. The PC wanted to know if I had made that poster.”

A shocking proposal from a so-called expert at the Department of Health has suggested that people in work should be given priority for treatment in the NHS.

In a move which could hit pensioners, disabled people, lone parents and unemployed people, government advisor Dame Carol Black has said: “I personally think we should perhaps be more honest and debate more fully if we would prioritise such patients if it was a question of getting them back to work.”

In other words if you are currently without a job, for any reason, then forget about accessing healthcare as you are pushed down to the bottom of NHS waiting lists. Black’s comments even seem to suggest that the sicker you are, and the less likely to be able to go back to work, then the longer you might have to wait for NHS treatment.

Dame Carol Black made the comments – which were first reported on the Work, Savings and Benefits website – at the recent Health and Wellbeing 2014 conference. She was joined at the conference by DWP chief medical adviser Dr Bill Gunnyeon who according to the website agreed that there is: “an issue about what priority we give to health related interventions for people of working age

Atos…yes, the French firm Atos have been awarded the very important contract to extract patient data!

A company who is responsible for the deaths of disabled people due to their disgraceful handling of ‘fit to work’ tests has been given even more responsibilities…I still can’t believe it, is it April 1st already?!

I won’t elaborate further than The Independent’s article, there’s no need…

If ever there was a good time to opt out of this disgraceful mess, it’s now!

Here’s the link to the opt out form, just fill it in for each member of your household and drop it in to the reception desk at your GP surgery. They will probably sell off our data anyway, but opting out is taking a stand and it’s always worth a try to protect our rights.

NHS hospital data HAS been sold to insurance companies so they can raise their premiums for high risk patients. This is something that is apparently illegal and medical data should only be used for the purposes of research to better our lives. Hiking up insurance premiums certainly isn’t to better our lives!

Rarely if ever have I read anything that has made me physically sick; this morning I came across a Government Report via fellow blogger johnny void that openly calls for “Residential Training is intended to help unemployed adults with disabilities, particularly those at risk of exclusion from the job market, to secure and sustain employment or self employment” which to my mind describes nothing more than a workhouse.

Reading through this Report I went from Hot to Cold and back again as I rationalised the contents, from the executive summery to the Recommendations. The emphasis throughout is to stress the ‘benefits’ of the Residential element and attempts to demonstrate how that could apply to people on Work Programme which “provides support, work experience and training for up to 2 year” and Work Choice for people “ disabled and find it hard to work“.

I suppose in order to provide a fair analysis I must also note the reports willingness to be inclusive, therefore I also note the authors desire to ensure this Residential training is also open to those the DWP deem to be “non-disabled people who are long term unemployed”. Although this isbecause “the unit cost of provision would then be driven down” rather than the programme suiting these potential trainees.

I can not here begin to offer a full analysis of this Report but I strongly urge you to take a look and if you can’t bear to read it all at least read the the 3 Case Studies which focus on opiate addiction and mental health issues, Scoliosis, Asthma, Autism, Aspergers, ADHD and Depression and severe mental health issues, alcohol abuse and long-term unemployment; these alone demonstrate the ‘type’ of individual the authors feel ought to be in Residential programmes, and then tell me this isn’t a case for a return to the Workhouse??

For me it is the action of “relinquishing self expectation” (thanks Sue) or the practice of doing nothing. It’s also taking (present tense as it’s a learning curve) a long time to accept.

Soooo, what’s wrong with reading a book during the day? Nothing right? you probably do it yourself.

Well actually I mean all day.every day, sometimes interspersed with TV, radio or sleep!

Great you say, bring it on.

However, I’ve been doing this since I was diagnosed with M.E. -4 years now – but not with any commitment to myself or the real Taoist principle , just because that’s what the illness does to me. Most of the time I do want to go out, do stuff and have a life!(Or rather my life back)

A virus for 3 weeks over the holidays, follow by a heavy cold at present, meant I not only couldn’t do anything but didn’t give myself a hard time for it.